Have you ever wondered what modern-day players do during a pre-season tour, away from the grass? Well, wonder no more.
Ryan Mason has taken his squad abroad for an intense training camp in Austria this week - which started with a session on Sunday, and includes a match against Dynamo Kyiv on Friday, before they travel home over the weekend.
In total, they will complete eight training sessions across the seven days, as well as multiple gym visits and that 90-minute clash versus their Ukrainian opponents.
But… What else do they get up to?
They eat. A lot.
Professional footballers burn a huge number of calories. And that means they need fuel.
Thankfully, the club have two chefs on hand to power the players - and staff - before and after their time on the grass.
Breakfast, lunch, dinner and routine snacks keep them in tip-top shape and ready to train, play and get through what can be a brutal summer period.
“We make sure the lads get what they need for fuel and their recovery - and we’re a friendly face to serve them when they come in, like at home,” explained Andy Sayer, Albion’s Training Ground Head Chef.
“Meal times are often the first thing that, especially staff, look for on the schedule. The lads as well, it’s a time when they can come in, relax, and socialise over some good food.
“There are more than 50 people in total on the camp, and there are lots of different tastes and intolerances across the group.
“The main thing really is giving the guys what they need, ensuring they get their carbs, protein, and everything else, so they can perform out on the pitch.”
They switch off.
Gone are the times where players went down the local Austrian pub for a stein or two after training.
The medical and sports science teams make sure their bodies get the best available recovery, with ice-baths, massages, and other modern methods all on hand.
And then they might relax the mind through another sport - such as table tennis - or try incredibly hard to beat each other at card games.
“I spend more time with these guys than I probably do with my own children and wife, to be honest,” said Jed Wallace.
“Sometimes in groups you play with at other clubs, the lads go straight up to their rooms and do their own thing. Whereas here, we’ve had lads doing activities together in-between sessions in the day, and in the evenings we’ve all been together playing cards and games.
“The new guys have come straight into the group. Aune (Heggebø) was playing cards with the boys last night, though I will say him and Heggy (Torbjorn Heggem) were speaking Norwegian - which was a bit suspect considering they are both near the top of the leaderboard!
“These are the things you need during a season. There will be times throughout a campaign where we’re in a bit of a crisis - it happens at every club - and that’s when you need strong relationships that stick together. It’s an important part of our working environment.
“Everyone has their own challenges mentally and physically. The way that football is now, you’ve only got to look at the pictures of the boys when they come back after a summer break - they’re all as fit as a fiddle.
“But we also need to build our minds for a tough road ahead, as with any season. In March when we’re 40 games in, having done hundreds of training sessions and experienced the ups and downs, we’ll feel very different to how fresh we are at the moment. So, it’s important now that we get right mentally and spend time together.”
They do media.
Sometimes it’s quizzes with the WBA TV team, other times it’s sit-down talks with journalists. Pre-season camps are a perfect time to get to know the squad.
No matter whether the video is Caleb Taylor facing Josh Griffiths in the ‘Big Albion Austria Quiz’ - or Aune Heggebø’s first Albion interview - the club’s media team have supporters covered and take up the players’ time.
And the Baggies’ local press have even been granted behind-the-scenes access to see what the boys are doing in preparation for the 2025/26 campaign under their new boss.
